Wharton Journal-Spectator (Wharton, Tex.), Vol. 125, No. 44, Ed. 1 Saturday, May 31, 2014 Page: 3 of 12
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A3
Wharton Journal-Spectator, Saturday, May 31,2014
journal-spectator.com
Just Do It Now rolls out
Not On My Block' campaign
Block party
to kick off
program on
Thursday
Special to the Journal-Spectator
Just Do It Now is unveiling
another community campaign
which will extend the positive
flow of individual change and
self-empowerment that is tak-
ing the community by storm.
“The ‘Not on My Block’ cam-
paign is designed to impress
upon the youth and families in
our community that anything
negative will simply not be al-
lowed in my life,” said Greg Ba-
ines, Just Do It Now’s founder
and executive director.
The campaign emphasizes
each individual taking a com-
mitted stance to say that the
ills of society like poverty, illit-
eracy, hatred, bullying, racism,
drugs, failure, alcoholism and
mediocrity are simply not al-
lowed in my life, Baines added
The ‘Not on My Block’ cam-
paign will officially begin with
an end-of-school block party on
Thursday, June 5 from 6 to 8
p.m. in front of the Just Do It
Now offices, 1619 Martin Lu-
ther King Blvd,
Just Do It Now is seeking
the support of all the commu-
nity stakeholders such as the
Wharton Independent School
District, city and county gov-
ernment officials, local church-
es, business owners, commu-
nity leaders and all community
groups and organizations, to
support the effort which will
be continuing through the
summer and the remainder of
2014.
Baines said the message
for the Wharton community is
simple.
‘We must aggressively and
proactively find solutions to
our community challenges by
understanding that we must
introduce positive opportuni-
ties for individual and family
change, or we will continue to
have the challenges,” Baines
said.
“I am so proud that our ef-
forts here in Wharton are being
recognized statewide now, with
opportunities that we have had
to facilitate workshops in Aus-
tin and in Corpus Christi, dem-
onstrating the concepts that
we use right here in Wharton
to make a positive difference
in our community,” said Ba-
ines, referring to workshops
facilitated by Just Do It Now
at the Texas Probation Associa-
tion Conference last month in
Corpus Christi and the Tfexas
Juvenile Justice Departments
Strengthening Youth and Fam-
ilies Conference in Austin in
November 2012.
The grassroots efforts of
Just Do It Now have been wit-
nessed in this community since
2001, when the organization
received its official non-profit
designation, and has now flour-
ished into an organization that
now has ties throughout the
state and relationships with
other successful organizations
such as the Harlem Children’s
Zone headed by Geoffrey
Canada. Canada was respon-
sible for the transformation of a
poverty-stricken 40-block area
of Harlem, New York, into an
economically developed com-
munity, driven by education
and total family enrichment
services.
“One of our supporters saw
what we were doing here in
Wharton and was so impressed
that he personally put me and
my wife, Vanessia, on a plane
to New York to meet Geoffrey
Canada, and see the work be-
ing done at the Harlem Chil-
dren’s Zone,” Baines said. “Af-
ter a couple hours visit with
Mr. Canada, he commented
that Just Do It Now in Whar-
ton is the rural equivalent to
the HCZ in New York. The
concept is the same — educate,
educate, educate and as the
thinking changes, so will every-
thing else.”
Just Do It Now is seeking
sponsors to assist with funding
this campaign, which will in-
clude yard signs, bumper stick-
ers, banners, and T-shirts, all
of which will remind everyone
that it doesn’t matter what you
do and it doesn’t matter what
you say, but ‘Not on My Block,”
Baines said.
To be a sponsor, contribute
Courtesy photo
Just Do It Now's Greg Baines says all signs point to the new cam-
paign, "Not On My Block." A block party will kick things off on
Thursday.
or volunteer your services for
the Not on My Block campaign,
contact the Just Do It Now of-
fices at 979-531-1975 or come
by 1619 Martin Luther King
Blvd.
‘We anticipate this cam-
paign will be one that will con-
tinue to promote the positive
changes that have occurred in
our community since we have
been blessed to have Just Do
It Now in our community,” Ba-
ines said.
Matagorda County Home Show
June 7,2014
Bay City Civic Center 201 7th Street
10 am to 5 pm
General Admission $5
Hi, I'm Jolly! Eleven of us were born
to a dog who had been rescued after
being chained to a tree without
shelter. I enjoy kids, car rides and
other dogs! Got treats? I'm your
girl! My sister Fuddy could be my
twin; we're both Looking 4 Love!
Adopt one of us in the month of
May and receive a goodie bag, bag
of puppy food and your name in the
drawing for a $75 Greek Bros, gift
certificate.
It is a class A misdemeanor with up
to $4,000.00 fine and/or 1 year
in jail if you abandon an animal
(Penal Code 42.09)
Interested in adopting?
Contact SPOT at 979.253.3446
or wcspot@hotmail.com.
Photo courtesy of Andy Kirkland
A 100-year-old tree is toppled by a confirmed tornado that touched down in the Hungerford area in last week's storms, Emergency Manage-
ment Coordinator Andy Kirkland said. As Hurricane Preparedness Week comes to a close, Wharton County sponsored a meeting Thursday
with nearly 50 emergency responders from surrounding counties and state agencies in attendance to discuss strategies and procedures for
potentially dangerous incidents, as well as how to keep the public aware and informed throughout hurricane season, which begins Sunday.
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— Slower hurricane season predicted
Continued from Page A1
agencies attended the meeting, including rep-
resentatives of the National Weather Service,
Texas Department of Transportation, Texas
Department of Public Safety, Texas Emergen-
cy Management, Lower Colorado River Au-
thority, Houston-Galveston Area Council and
emergency personnel and law enforcement
from multiple cities and counties.
The city of Wharton is also doing its part to
raise awareness and provide information on
planning for a hurricane.
Included in their first and recent release of
the quarterly newsletter are recommendations
for building a basic emergency supply kit, tips
for evacuating, as well as a profile of the emer-
gency management coordinator for Wharton,
Sgt. Steve Johnson, who is driven to keep citi-
zens informed and aware of safety issues and
“emergency actions that would prepare and
protect them from the consequences of poten-
tially dangerous disasters,” according to the
newsletter.
Also included in the publication is the list
of 2014 hurricane names — Arthur, Bertha,
Christobal and Dolly are first up.
Hurricane Ike, which made landfall in 2008,
is the last storm to have Wharton County in its
trajectory.
Though the Beaumont area took the hit,
Ike caused debris of limbs and power outages
in the east Wharton County area — another
example of the importance of preparation and
staying informed, Kirkland said.
Citizens of Wharton can also sign up to re-
ceive notifications by phone and email. There
are also numerous resources for the public in-
cluding everything from evacuation routes to
local rainfall data. Visit www.cityofwharton.
com.
ATTENTION
All cemetery property owners or visitors of
EVERGREEN MEMORIAL PARK
In an effort to preserve the dignity of Evergreen Memorial Park, we are requesting the
assistance of grave owners and families who have lost loved ones, to remove any non-regula-
tory items from graves by June 15, 2014.
Daniel Sklar, President of Evergreen Memorial Park, said, “The personalization of
graves is very sensitive issue and we fully understand the need for families to express their
love for those who have gone; however, what is seen as acceptable by some, can cause offense
to others and it is the Boards responsibility to maintain the dignity and tranquility of our
cemetery.”
We have seen in recent months over personalization has made maintenance difficult
and raised concerns from visitors. As such, we are respectfully asking that grave owners and
families remove any items that are not permitted in the cemetery rules and regulations.
After June 15, any items not permitted according to cemetery rules and regulations
will be removed by cemetery personnel.
Items not permitted include:
• Glassware
• Solar Lights
• Windmills & Wind chimes
• Stepping Stones & Garden Stones
• Statuary or Ornamentation over 6 inches
• Potted Plants except in these special occasions: Christmas, Valentines, Mother’s Day,
Father’s Day, and Memorial Day.
Evergreen is a perpetual care cemetery and is maintained without cost to you. Our rules and
regulations are designed to maintain a cemetery of surpassing beauty as a memorial to those
loved ones that you have entrusted to our care.
A JHOUSAI® ffiMg
n foyour generou^uggogt^W
WHARTON fCOUNTY<
FREEDOMiRESn
FESTIVAL SPONSORS
H. E. B.
City of Wharton
Dorian Tool
Barbee Services, Inc.
Pepsi Beverages Co.
Maxim Productions, Inc.
Hot Country 102.5
NewFirst National Bank
NewWave Communications
KULP
96 Country
Texas Mix 105.3 FM
Myrtis S. Outlar
Hunter's Air & Heat, Inc.
Wharton Funeral Home
InsuranceNet, Inc.
Barbee Services, Inc.
First State Bank of Louise
Law Office of James L. Perez
Rath Plumbing Co.
Doc Blakely's Java Jam
Mr. & Mrs. S. L. Miori
Charles Chambers Insurance
Prosperity Bank
Joe's Portable Toilets
Wharton Tractor Co.
Custom Creations
Zarsky Lumber
AP Formulators
Sabrsula Construction
CAR SHOW SPONSORS
Von-Wil Ford
Texas Gulf Federal Credit Union
Wharton Feed & Supply
Poor Farms Wrecker
Pekar's Bodyshop, Inc.
Houston Dent Repair
Street Scene, Inc.
Roberson Heating & Refrigeration
Caney Auto Service
Marshall's Car Wash
Dee Ann & Larry Viktorin
Sam's Powersports
Atzenhoffer Chevrolet
Gladwin Paint
Custom Creations
Dragon Fire Racing
L & L Automotive
Bremser Insurance
Wharton Journal-Spectator
Egypt Plantation Dance Barn
Wharton Chiropractic Center
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Wallace, Bill. Wharton Journal-Spectator (Wharton, Tex.), Vol. 125, No. 44, Ed. 1 Saturday, May 31, 2014, newspaper, May 31, 2014; Wharton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth661455/m1/3/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Wharton County Library.